4 years ago I wrote:
I am in the final stages of leaving for Korea for a year. There are quite a few people who did not believe that I was serious about moving overseas........HA I'll show them. My VISA should arrive sometime next week. I will be working for large school in the Yeongtong area of Suwon, South Korea. Hopefully if I have the will power, I will update this frequently.
When I wrote the title of this post, I was not thinking about what I wrote 4 years ago when I was preparing to come to Korea. I was actually thinking about what will happen when we make the big move back to Hattiesburg, MS 2 months from now. I often think about how much has changed since I got on that Delta Airlines flight to Korea. I wonder how much more will change in the next 4 years.
Lately, I have been bogged down with thoughts of jobs, houses, cars, money.etc. Then I start to think about what all has changed since I set foot in Korea. Mainly, I think about the biggies. There have been additions to the family both through weddings and births. There have been losses. Basically, I am going back to a family and set of friends that are in a totally different situation than when I left them. I am sure that they feel the same way about me. I disappear for 4 years and come back with wife in tow. The move would only be so much easier if I was only worried about visible/outward changes. The changes that I am most worried about are the ones that have taken place internally. I hope that I have changed for the better. I know that I have a better sense of the world and of the way America is viewed outside of the western hemisphere. I think that I have also learned how to cope with adversity in a total different way. I am still trying to figure out how if any my personality has changed. My four years in Korea have been far from perfect, but they have been pretty damn good. I am sure that I will be eager to return to Korea four years from now. We do have plans to come back and settle in Jeju, but it remains to be see if those plans stick.
I have grown accustomed to my way of life here in Korea. I have my routine. I miss my family and friends but there are things besides my family and friends that are drawing me back home. Sweet tea, fried catfish, clean air, New Orleans, Southern accents, football weekends, family dinners, soul food, cotton farms, tailgating are all calling me back. My family is probably the single biggest reason why I am excited to get back. I will be able to spend some much needed time with my parents. I also will get a chance to hold my nephew for the first time. I will also get to spend time with my new sister and brother in law. I also will be able to spend time with my best friends and their new children, some of whom I have never seen. All in all, it is time for the move and I can't wait.
We literally have a list of at least a hundred items that must be completed before we can make the journey home. The next couple of months will be spent worrying about wedding ceremony arrangements, flights, packing, vacations, pensions....so much, but these are actually items that I enjoy worrying about.
I can't wait to look back 4 years from now and see what all has changed.
Source: mississippitokorea.blogspot.com
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